Contract: Two year Fixed Term Contract

Based: Amman, Jordon

Responsible to: Chief Executive Officer, Headquarters, U.K.

Please note, that this role will be subject to full pre-employment background checks which may include, but are not limited to, employment references, right to work in country verification, Accuity background check and where appropriate a criminal record check.

*Responsible for: Syria Relief will establish a new office and programme in Jordon as part of Syria Reliefs ongoing response to the Syrian Crisis. The Country Director (CD), in collaboration with HQ, will play a pivotal role in establishing a new team and developing the programme in Jordon. S/he will be responsible for the overall management and leadership of the Senior Management Team (SMT) in country, in addition to delivering on the objectives as outlined in the Country Strategic Plan. The CD will play a key role in building the profile of Syria Relief in Jordon through liaison and strategic engagement with stakeholders i.e. partners, intuitional donors and CBOs etc. The CD will be responsible for upholding the organizations Vision, Mission and Core Values and ensuring that all Syria Relief staff behave in accordance with these.*

Description of the Role:

The CD for Syria Reliefs operations in Jordan and will build on the strengths and opportunities of the program to define strategic direction, creatively manage the team, and build excellent relationships with partners, donors and authorities. You will have experience of working and leading teams in unstable and insecure environments, excellent knowledge of regional politics and development trends, and a strong track record in both resource mobilization and improving program quality. You will demonstrate experience of building programs with a focus on accountability, and evidence of connecting programs to wider advocacy agendas. You will be able to show that you can build effective working relationships across organizational boundaries and have the technical skills to appraise and oversee complex development projects

Responsibilities:

In co-operation with the appropriate staff, s/he will undertake the following responsibilities:

Program Development and Management:

• Undertake program planning and development in line with Syria Relief’s organizational strategy.
• Develop and implement programs in consultation with all staff and stakeholders.
• Ensure stakeholders participate meaningfully in the planning, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of projects.
• Conduct participatory research to identify and develop new projects, aligned with Syria Relief’s organizational strategy.
• Plan time frames and budgets as well as development of new concept papers and liaison with in-country donors.
• Implement programs as per grants requirements and compliance, delivering and reporting of projects on time, on budget and to the required standard.
• Mobilize the support of government, NGO and community stakeholders, including development of fundraising strategies in country with submission of proposals to be signed-off by the Head Office in Manchester, UK
• Develop coordination and capacity building initiatives for all staff to ensure learning and best practice is shared and developed. This will evolve to include partnership management and transferred learning.
• Develop of national advocacy strategy to draw grass-roots participation in projects with national and international lobbying coordinated in the UK, Jordan and other Strategic locations.
• Produces monthly reports on a timely basis to HQ as required.
• Organize and facilitate internal and external evaluations of the project, using these as opportunities to elicit and document achievements, challenges, learning and opportunities.
• Facilitate visits to project sites by donor representatives and other Syria Relief representatives

Fundraising:

• Work in line with the institutional fundraising strategy and with support from the UK Programs/Operations team to raise funds through relationship building and proposal development.
• Develop and submit concept notes/ proposals with support from Head of Programs Implementation and Head of Programs Support, ensuring compliance with donor requirements and synergy with strategic outputs.
• Negotiate grants and partnership agreements with in-country donors.
• Identify in-country funding opportunities, aligned to Syria Relief’s organizational strategy.
• Work with the in-country and UK Finance teams to develop accurate and realistic donor budgets.

Financial Management:

• Comply fully with Syria Relief’s finance policies and procedures and provide the Finance Manager, HQ, UK with financial requests and expenditure information reports in an accurate manner on a monthly basis.
• Comply fully with the donors’ requirements and conditions.
• Compile donor reports in a timely manner with feedback and support from the Operations Team and sign-off from the CEO.
• Comply fully with the Jordanian Government’s regulations and requirements.
• Ensure all expenditure is authorized and in line with the program and project budgets.
• Ensure receipts and supporting documents are compiled and achieved properly.

Security Management:

• Responsible for ensuring compliance of security protocols within the team, imparting and training partners in security planning, and maintaining oversight of the country-security context at the tactical level.
• Ensure reporting and recording security incidents for the security coordination in Jordan and the UK.
• Update at least annually and/or whenever appropriate, security and evacuation plans with relevant stakeholders.
• Ensure all national staff and visiting staff comply fully with Syria Relief’s security policy and procedures. Security is non-negotiable and overrides program consideration.

Communication and Representation:

• Represent the organization to key donors, diplomats, multilateral organizations, journalists and visitors in Jordan.
• Ensure effective networking, profile and representation with local, national and international authorities, donors and peer agencies.
• Ensure quality of communication material including case studies for UK based communications team.
• Interface with Fundraising Team in production of blogs, photos, videos and case-studies.
• Circulate and inform staff of Syria Relief’s communications strategy and external messaging.
• Be overall responsible for the implementation of HR policies and procedures in Jordan, and ensure they comply with Syria Relief’s HR policies and practices and Jordanian labor laws.
• Line management of team of diverse local staff and expatriate staff conducting regular supervision and support. This will include local and distance management of geographically separate teams and overseeing the management of relationships with local partner organizations.
• Lead the recruitment and orientation of new local and international staff members.
• Conduct or oversee at least annual appraisals of all staff working under the Jordan program.
• Ensure compliance with security and child protection protocols and procedures.
• Arrange for field visits to address local staff needs and ensure compliance with Syria Relief policies and procedures.
• Maintain learning and competency development amongst staff and partners through identification of individual learning objectives, institution of regular training programs and competencies assessments.

Other:

• Liaison with local government authorities to ensure representation, good relations and full compliance with local Laws and/or customs as far as possible.
• Follow up with changes in Border, Registration, Residency and other policies that impact employees and organization in country of operation.
• Ensure legitimacy of staff and operations, and clear legal standing for all office operations.

Leadership Skills:**

• To promote Syria Relief’s vision and mission and to uphold the Charity’s values in all day to day activities and delivery of services.
• Take business accountability for the delivery of shared business responsibilities e.g. relevant contribution to the Charity’s Objectives, Risk Register and Assurance Framework.
• To ensure that Syria Relief develops a culture that promotes equality and values diversity and that the service you provide meets the needs of all stakeholders. This may involve the development and monitoring of policies and procedures to ensure the services you provide are inclusive to all.
• To participate in Syria Relief related events as and when required.
• In accordance with legislation, the post holder is required to undertake a proactive role in the management of risks in all their actions. This includes:
• Undertaking risk assessments in line with the Syria Relief risk assessment process;
• Reporting all incidents, near misses and hazards in line with the Syria Relief’s reporting arrangements/system
• Undertaking a statutory duty of care for your own personal safety and that of others
• Attending all statutory and mandatory health and safety training, appropriate to the role.

Person Specification

Qualifications Master’s degree in one of the following: Business Management / International Relations / Development / Environmental / Conservation Management or other related fields; A minimum of ten years’ experience of managing including at least five years in humanitarian field. Proven track record in successfully developing, leading, and managing small to large-scale programs in various humanitarian sectors. Knowledge and skills Excellent leadership abilities to manage human and financial resources, with experience in leading change and driving the vision of the organization. Excellent team management and interpersonal skills. Decision making skills with the ability to think and manage strategically. Sound knowledge of participatory approaches. Excellent IT skills Security and risk management Demonstrated successful track record in securing funding from institutional donors and grant reporting. Grant management and reporting Demonstrated fundraising skills, and experience working with donors; Committed to equal opportunity employment policies and Syria Relief’s code of ethics; Adhere to humanitarian principles and international humanitarian laws Fluency in English and Arabic. Jordanian language Experience Maintaining relationships at a senior level with relevant organisations Setting up monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning systems, including the use of logical frameworks. High level negotiation and influencing skills, and the capacity to develop and maintain strong relationships at all levels with NGOs and donors’ representatives and government officials. Track record of building organizational talent by promoting performance culture and encouraging empowerment and delegation. Ability to work outside normal office hours and attend meetings at weekends or evenings Willing to travel locally & internationally